Bernie Sanders, jobs, and what work really is

Last month the Washington Post reported, “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will announce a plan for the federal government to guarantee a job paying $15 an hour and health-care benefits to every American worker “who wants or needs one,”…” These jobs would be the product of hundreds of government projects initiated in, “…infrastructure, care giving, the environment, education and other goals.” Continue Reading...

11 things you should know about the minimum wage

As is becoming a common New Year’s theme, the minimum wage increased on Monday in more than a dozen states across the U.S. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 18 states increased the lowest legal wage allowed: • Alaska: $9.84, $.04 increase • Arizona: $10.50, $.50 increase • California: $11.00, $.50 increase • Colorado: $10.20, $.90 increase • Florida: $8.25, $.15 increase • Hawaii: $10.10, $.85 increase • Maine: $10.00, $1.00 increase • Michigan: $9.25, $.35 increase • Minnesota: $9.65, $.15 increase • Missouri: $7.85, $.15 increase • Montana: $8.30, $.15 increase • New Jersey: $8.60, $.16 increase • New York: $10.40, $.70 increase • Ohio: $8.30, $.15 increase • Rhode Island: $10.10, $.50 increase • South Dakota: $8.85, $.20 increase • Vermont: $10.50, $.50 increase • Washington: $11.50, $.50 increase Out of the 19 states that raised minimum wages last year, 16 raised them again in 2018 (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington). Continue Reading...

More victims of the $15 minimum wage

The deleterious side effects of the $15-per-hour minimum wage have continued to manifest across the country, affecting cities from Seattle to Minneapolis and states from California to New York. To illustrate the damage, the Employment Policies Institute is maintaining a catalog of suffering businesses across the country, highlighting stories of raised consumer prices, increased unemployment, reduced working hours, and outright business closures. Continue Reading...

10 Things you should know about the minimum wage

The minimum wage increased yesterday in nineteen states across the U.S.: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington. Continue Reading...

The end of black conservatism?

On December 27, 2016, at the age of 86, Thomas Sowell published his last column. After publishing dozens of books and hundreds of columns, Dr. Sowell’s retirement may mark the beginning of the end of an era of black intellectuals who were champions of political and economic liberty. Continue Reading...

The Christian Statesman and the Gospel to the Poor

Today at Mere Orthodoxy, I argue that the duty of the Christian statesman (or stateswoman) to the poor requires defending human rights, supplying urgent needs, reducing barriers to market entry, and guaranteeing access to the institutions of justice, seeking realistic, gradual reform as possible and prudent. Continue Reading...